Consistency and Legacy Are Keys to Mock Trial Team’s Success
5.2.2025
The Mock Trial team at the High School of American Studies at Lehman College is returning to the state tournament for the first time since winning the state title four years ago. In early April, the New York City team beat Brooklyn Tech to secure the Region V Mock Trial title.
In 2021, the team won the title in a virtual competition and is excited to travel to Albany for the in-person tournament.
“It’s such a full circle moment because we saw that as freshmen. And now we’re going to be able to go to the state championships as seniors in person, which is almost an entirely different experience,” said Mira Goodman. “I’m really hoping that the freshmen this year have the same experience, and I think that it will make everyone so much engaged in mock trial and so excited, just knowing that we’ve been able to get to this point.”
HSAS Lehman team veterans say the structure of a four-year commitment to the team creates a continuity that helps the team succeed.
“I think that’s basically the key reason why our team tends to be so successful because we all know each other so well,” said Sophie Brettschneider. “We know how to work very well together, and we’ve also just been exposed to so many competitions, and just so much like legal vocabulary and strategy.”
Josephine Kramer adds that the team demonstrates consistency by working on the same part for the entire year.
“We stick to the same role for the entire year, and the same side for the whole year, half of our team do defense, half do plaintiff. So that really helps us get to know our specific role.”
The New York City high school mock trial teams are paired with a mentoring law firm. Lehman teammates say their long-standing relationship with Dechert is a major element of its success.
“They’ve helped us form both cases on both sides, and they’ve really shaped the way that we work and the way we compete. I don’t think we could be anywhere close to here without them,” said Daniel Schneiderman.
“We met a lot over winter break and I think that was a difference from last year,” Kramer said. “We really put in extra time and the extra support of the law firm, helping us even outside of scheduled practice times, was the key.”
Lauren Peterson is a long-time faculty adviser of mock trial at HSAS Lehman and she made a prediction about this team early on.
“I told them that I thought that they had like the right stuff. If they wanted to put in the ridiculous amount of time and effort, they had a good chance of making it through. So, I’m delighted that I was right.”
The statewide Mock Trial program and tournament is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association and funded in part by a grant from The New York Bar Foundation. It brings thousands of high school students together each year to learn about the law, practice public speaking and develop life skills. The state tournament with eight regional teams takes place in Albany each May.
